Sunday, December 14, 2014

Whether people acknowledge it or not, names still have great
significance in culture today. If somebody’s name is “like Mud” or if a person
is “no Sherlock,” often times, people may understand the meaning of such
phrases even if they do not fully understand the source. In fiction, characters
may have names with meanings that may reinforce or contradict their
personalities or significance.

Many great books out there, not just Pilgrim’s Progress, have characters with significant names. In The Naming and in The Messenger, the protagonists receive new names that embody their
roles in their societies. In The Kingdom
Series, many of the characters’ names represent biblical characters. Even many
of the characters in The Hunger Games
are representational, and the places may be historical references. Most
recently, some of characters in the Allegiance books have names that either
reflect their personalities or names that the characters rise above.

In my own stories, I may spend days or even months trying to give a particular character a name with meaning. Villains are perhaps
the most difficult characters to name, not necessarily because they are
underdeveloped but because they are so vitally important. I can’t just name one
of the most important characters John Smith, so my antagonist might go through
half a draft with a name like (VN)—for
Villain Name—or simply X. A
successful writing day is one when I can name one character, and it's a superb day
when I can name two.

Throughout Scripture, names have great significance both for
God and for people. Abram, Sarai, and Jacob’s names were changed to Abraham,
Sarah, and Israel. Naomi asked to be called Mara because she felt that her life
was bitter. One of the apostles, Simon, was also called Peter. The list goes
on.

Although not every writer may select names for a particular
meaning, characters tend to embody a name and can even be memorable for them. Those
characters with meaning in their names add layers of quality and depth to
literature, which may be interesting to study when examining certain texts. Meaning
behind a character name is not always necessary, but such names can hold power
in both classical and contemporary literature.

Are there any characters whose names hold meaning that you
view as significant? Do you think it is important for writers to give their
characters’ names meaning?

Friday, December 5, 2014

Today marks the release date of my most recent publication
"The List" featured in Splickety Prime 3.4.
This marks the second work I have had published through Splickety. You can view
a short description of my first story on my Works
Published page.

Perhaps one of the most dreadful questions a reader can ask
is "What is your story about?" Before you ask, it’s about Christmas.
Because the story is flash fiction—less than 1,000 words—I will refrain from
describing the entire story. Instead, I will address a few things related to
writing this story.

I first came up with the idea for this story a few years ago,
but the story didn’t actually develop until this past summer. I was tired of
all the trite Christmas stories that all seem to tell the same story, so I
decided to write something different.

One story that served as inspiration, although it may not
directly influence my story, is Dickens’ A
Christmas Carol. Although families may watch the film version to the point
of quoting it word-for-word, the story still portrays the realistic importance
of life and death through fantastical means.

On the other hand, my intention of writing “The List” is not
to deemphasize the importance of the church or of the nativity story. For those
of you who have already read my story, this might make more sense. To me, the
best Christmas story will always be the nativity story.

Have a warm, merry Christmas!

What are some of your favorite Christmas stories? Do you
have any questions concerning “The List”? I'd like to hear your thoughts!